KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Monday, August 13, 2018
Chapters: Jeremiah 22-25
Message: Judgment And Righteousness
Hello My Friend,
There are different types of judgment, passing opinions on people, and of course, the punishment God will place upon the earth for sin, but there is a different type of judgment that we as Christians ought to be making and that is righteous judgment, which is the spirit of wisdom and prudence, enabling a person to discern right and wrong, good and evil. “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” – John 7:24.
Righteous; Purity of heart and rectitude of life, it includes all we call justice, honesty and virtue, with holy affections; in short, it is true religion. Faithful Christians are a work in progress, they are not perfect or sinless, but they do walk with Jesus daily in an attempt to righteously. Let me tell you, our salvation may not be based on our works, but living completely how God wants us to live does not happen over night, it takes a lifetime, but as long as we make an effort God blesses us for it. We all have to admit that whenever we try to do things on our own we can make a mess of things, but that is why we have Jesus. God knows that flesh can only do so much and if we truly want to live righteously we need Him to guide us. Zedekiah was the last son of the house of David to reign as king in Judah, and he was not very good, in fact, he was down right evil. God gave him one last chance to repent before he gets captured and taken into Babylon.
“And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates: Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people. But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.” – Jeremiah 22:2-5.
“Execute ye judgment and righteousness,” That is all God really asks of us, He does not want us to be perfect because He knows we are not, He wants us to make the right judgment and live righteously. Little did we realize when we chose to live our lives with Christ in it that we would face some additional trials since the world hates us because we love Him, but at least we have hope that one day all of this will be over and we will be with Jesus. No one really wants to hear about or witness all the terrible things that are going to happen before Jesus returns, but they need to be addressed, and people need to know the truth. However, there are pastors and speakers all over the world teaching a false doctrine, one that ignores the judgment that is about to come, and even that there is a hell. Zedekiah would be the last king of the seed of David to reign in all of Israel, and it will remain that way until Jesus returns to claim His throne. Through Jeremiah, God addresses these false pastors.
“Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.” – Jeremiah 23:1-6,30-31.
“that use their tongues, and say, He saith.” How do you feel when someone says that you said something you did not say? False religion is nothing but a bunch of power hungry egos that want to get rich off of people desperate for change in their lives and are seeking God. People who head up these false religions are only sending people straight to hell. Jesus is the Branch of David that executes judgment and righteous on all, and only those who seek His truths and follow them will be saved. So many people get caught up in false religion in the first place because they want to keep living immoral lives and expect God to be okay with it. God does not work that way, and ignorance does not save anyone. “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” – Romans 10:2-4.
The world and worldly Christians might knock us down for standing by God’s Word, but they cannot keep us down. God will always pick us back up! While the destruction of Jerusalem was definitely coming, God was not about to leave His people to be destroyed with it. Through an odd illustration of good and rotten figs, God promises that He will always protect His people, even if that means he has to put them in captivity for a while.
“Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good. For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart. And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt: And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.” – Jeremiah 24:5-9.
“for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.” God does not want to see us stumble and fall, He does not want any evil to come upon us at all, but since we live in the midst of a wicked and corrupt world we are going to get stuck in the middle of the consequences of their sin. God allows all this for one reason, to bring others to Him. God knows that we can only do so much in our flesh and if we truly want to be blessed we need to remind ourselves that while in our own flesh it is impossible to endure the pain and suffering of sin, but through Christ all things are possible. We must know the Bible to know God and be able to understand all that is going on in the world, otherwise our faith turns to corrupt things. God will use anyone to get people to repent, He will plead with them and encourage them until there is no more hope left. Through Jeremiah, God warned them one last time of that judgment and gave the details on exactly how it was going to happen.
“Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle. And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations. For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands.” – Jeremiah 25:9-14.
“and according to the works of their own hands.” Okay, so, we keep hearing over and over again that Jesus is returning and it can sometimes be daunting. And I am sure Israel got tired of hearing the judgment was coming to them, so much so that they went after Jeremiah just for speaking about it. People want to question God on this and why all He is so mean to place such harsh judgments upon the world in the first place, but this is not from God. Yes, God is the judge, and He will execute judgment, but man is the one who has the power to turn things around. However, the majority of them will not repent, therefore, the judgment stands. If God’s people do not wise up and listen to His warnings no amount of pleading or silencing His faithful will stop the judgment, only true repentance does that. He will not use His faithful to enforce judgment, He will use the ungodly and wicked. Right now God is using His faithful to warn people and preach the Gospel, and He is using the ungodly to place judgments upon the people, and while we may not know the hour in which Jesus will return, we are one more closer. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” – I Thessalonians 4:16-17.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.” – Jeremiah 23:5.
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your Word, my guide to everything that helps me to make the right judgment and live righteously. Lord, I know that I will not learn everything You have to tell me all at once, but as I keep walking with Your Son You will reveal things to me day by day as He works in and through me. I may not get it right all the time, but let me not forget that I serve the only living God and that Christ lives in me. He and He alone is my strength, my wisdom, my protection, and my guide to the truth and living righteously. I Love You Lord, I love Your Word, and I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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